Hershel Layton and the Broken Tea Cup
by Maya-roo
Summary: Hershel is in some unknown trouble with Randall. At first, he thinks his friend is playing a little trick on him, but as the night progresses... Hershel/Randall


**A/N: more late at night writing... i don't own professor layton or the characters used in this story. enjoy, and remember, you can request a pairing in your review. c;**

Randall was waiting for me outside my door with a stern, displeased look on his face. As soon as I was out the front door to my small house, he pulled me aside. "What is it?" I asked in a low voice, wondering why I was trying to be quiet. I guess it was because whenever Randall pulled me over, it was about something secretive. Most of the time, anyway.

"Just follow me, I'll talk to you when we get to my house," he said, his voice firm as he grabbed my wrist and began to drag me off. I stumbled along with him, confused and wondering what had gotten Randall in such a weird uncharacteristic mood.

Finally we got to his house. He still had my wrist in a firm grip as he dragged me up the grand staircase. I took a second to admire the work of his house. I wish I had a much bigger living space, something like what Randall had. We entered his room, which was dark with only a lamp on. "Randall, please explain to me your situation," I said with a sigh as he let go of my wrist.

"Sit down on my bed and I'll tell you," he said, glaring at me. I did what I was told, sitting on his cozy bed, but still feeling the tension and unease. "What is this all about?" I asked him again. He turned towards me, and I sensed that it was best I kept quiet. "Oh, you know what it is! You broke my favorite tea cup!" he accused, staring at me with that chilling glare of his. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I told him, scooting over to the left as he went to sit on my right side.

"Sure you do, sure you do..." he repeated thoughtfully, staring at me through narrowed eyes. "Okay, you know what, I won't turn you into the police or anything. You just have to stay here until..." Randall paused for a moment, probably thinking. I realized he hadn't even planned this out... "Twelve o'clock AM!" he said finally. I looked at him with wide eyes. "Randall, my parents would throw a fit-"  
"I can get you in much bigger trouble," he reminded me.  
We were silent for a long time. It could've been hours, it could've been minutes, but I just knew the silence was unsettling and something wasn't right.

"Could I see the remains of this tea cup of yours, Randall?" I finally asked him.  
He didn't reply. Instead he looked at me with a bright expression, smiling cheerfully. "Oh, we can do a lot of fun things tonight!" he said. I wondered why he avoided my question, but I had barely any time to ponder his actions before he grabbed my hand.  
"Come on, Hershel, I recently found this really cool toy I got when I was a kid!"  
I couldn't help but chuckle. Randall and I were certainly the kind to play with a child's toy.

It was getting dark outside by the time we both lost interest in the many gadgets and board games Randall had. "It must be around eight. Please Randall, I've got to get home..."  
"I'll tell them we're having a sleepover!" my friend interrupted yet again, looking at me with almost a pleading look. "Well..." I looked at him. He definitely had that begging look on his face, the one of a hungry and bored puppy.

"Okay." He smiled and hugged me, although at that time I didn't think much of it. "Thanks Hersh! You're the best!" I grinned and we continued to search through the pile of toys before getting bored. Randall suggested we take a look at his archaeology books, but I quickly disagreed. After all, it was a weekend.

It was around nine o'clock when I noticed things getting weird. Randall had returned to his displeased state. "Hershel, you know I can't just let you go that easily. You could be in a jail cell right now..." he began. I laughed. "Sure, sure." "I'm serious!" he told me.  
"So, you have to do what I say!" he declared, sounding more like an eight-year-old child rather than a seventeen-year-old. "Well, alright," I said with a shrug.

At first, the little requests were the silly kind you'd get in a child's truth or dare game. I was told to repeat "Randall is the most superior archaeologist the world has ever seen" and things a long the lines of "Hershel stinks".  
As we started to settle into bed (which was normal. Being good friends, Randall and I usually shared the same sleeping space, although we slept very far apart. Him on the far right, myself on the far left.), Randall didn't go to his side. Not at all. Instead, he snuggled up to me, pretty much making a one-way cuddle puddle. "Randall, please-" I began to protest.

"The tea cup, Hersh..." I kept silent. I might as well let Randall have his fun, whatever fun he thought his was.  
After a moment's pause, he said, "Hershel, this is weird. You have to loosen up a bit, okay? I can tell your tense." "You know, I didn't break that tea cup..." He laughed. "Sure, sure..."  
I frowned, but embraced Randall in a hug anyway. "You know Randall, this is, kind of, uhm..." I had no idea what I was trying to say, but I knew for sure this wasn't how friends acted around each other in the same bed.

"Shh," Randall said, pulling his head up and kissing me. Shocked, I pushed him off of me. Instead of keeping his distance, the boy just laughed and went back to his original position. My heart was pounding. When our lips met, I felt a weird sensation. "Randall, are you okay?" I asked, just to be sure. "Mhm, better than ever," he replied.

Finally, it was twelve o'clock.

"Oh, look at the time," Randall said, disappointment in his voice. "It's about 12:15. That's too bad... I have to let you go, according to our compromise," he told me, giving one last snuggle before getting off of me and the bed. I did the same, although in my attempt to get down from his large bed, I stumbled. I was still confused and shocked Randall would ever do such a thing. The cuddling and kiss, I mean.  
He walked me out the front door, then stopped. "I can walk the rest of the way," I told him, but he already knew. So, without a reply, I walked off. But not before I heard Randall whisper something...

"There was no tea cup to begin with."

I spun around, looking at him. He had an amused smile and a strange look of satisfaction on his face. "Y...You..." I managed to say, turning red from embarrassment. How could he have tricked me so easily? "...We'll settle this in the morning," I muttered, turning around to stumble back to my home, Randall's pleased face never leaving my mind.


End file.
